Sundance Film Festival branches out nationwide for 1 night

by Shirley Jahad

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General view of the atmosphere on Main Street during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2011 in Park City, Utah. Jemal Countess/Getty Images

The Sundance Film Festival is branching out of Park City Utah Thursday night and offering screenings in several cities around the country.

The effort is dubbed Sundance USA. Organizers want to expand their reach beyond the small, scenic ski town and give film lovers around the country a taste of the famous festival.

So films in the dramatic competition will be presented and introduced by their directors in nine cities on one night. They include Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and Brooklyn – as well as smaller cities like Nashville; Madison, Wisconsin; and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Sundance organizers say the event serves the nonprofit institute’s mission to expand audiences and access to film storytelling.

As those screenings are underway, festival attendees in Park City will see the premier of “Life in a Day.” The movie is the result of an international film experiment, in which tens of thousands of people around the world submitted footage of the events in their lives on one day: July 24, 2010.

Director and screenwriter: Jacob Aaron Estes - When a family of hungry raccoons begin feasting on the worms living under the sod of a young couple's backyard, the pest problem sets off a wild and absurd chain reaction of anxiety, infidelity, organ donation and other assorted mayhem. Cast: Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney, Ray Liotta, Dennis Haysbert, Kerry Washington. World Premiere

Director and screenwriter: Tom McCarthy, based on the story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni - When a disheartened attorney moonlighting as a high school wrestling coach stumbles across a star athlete, things seem to be looking up. That is, until the boy's mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything. Cast: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor. World Premiere

Director: Jesse Peretz; Screenwriters: Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall - After serving time for being conned into selling pot, Ned successively moves in with each of his three sisters as he tries to get back on his feet. His best intentions quickly bring the family to the cusp of chaos and ultimately the brink of clarity. Cast: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer. World Premiere

Director and screenwriter: Gregg Araki - A science fiction story centered on the sexual awakening of a group of college students. Cast: Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Chris Zylka, Roxane Mesquida, Juno Temple. U.S. Premiere

Director: Jim Kohlberg; Screenwriters: Gwyn Lurie and Gary Marks, based on the story "The Last Hippie" by Oliver Sacks - A father struggles to bond with his estranged son who suffers a brain tumor that prevents him from forming new memories. He learns to embrace his son's choices and to try to connect with him through the power of music. Cast: J.K. Simmons, Julia Ormond, Cara Seymour, Lou Taylor Pucci, Mia Maestro. World Premiere

Director: Drake Doremus; Screenwriters: Drake Doremus and Ben York Jones - A young American guy and a young British girl meet in college and fall in love. Their love is tested when she is required to leave the country and they must face the challenges of a long-distance relationship. Cast: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston. World Premiere

Director and screenwriter: Christopher Munch - An artist and government hydrologist surveying a remote part of southwestern Oregon befriends a sasquatch man and must take bold steps to protect his privacy, as well as her own. Cast: Lily Rabe, Jason Butler Harner, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Jim Cody Williams, Fiona Dourif. World Premiere

Director: Tiffany Shlain; Screenwriters: Tiffany Shlain, Ken Goldberg, Carlton Evans and Sawyer Steele - Connected is an exhilarating stream-of-consciousness ride through the interconnectedness of humankind, nature, progress and morality at the dawn of the 21st century. For centuries we've been declaring independence. With insight, curiosity, and humor, the film explores whether it's time to declare our interdependence. World Premiere